Cetyl Myristoleate (CMO)

There has been a lot of buzz in the rheumatology industry regarding Cetyle Myristoleate or CMO. Some supplement companies make claims that it is a revolutionary compound, that it’s everything from an anti-inflammatory to an immune system modulator that prevents immune cells from attacking your joints.

How does it actually work? Cetyl myristoleate may inhibit the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways of arachidonic acid metabolism and, therefore, decrease production of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotrienes. In layman’s terms, it may reduce pain caused by inflamed, arthritic joints.

We looked at actual clinical studies to verify some of these claims. Here’s what we found:

According to the original 1994 study done by the discoverer of CMO, Dr. Harry Diehl:

Cetyl myristoleate was isolated from National Institutes of Health, general purpose, Swiss albino mice that were immune to the polyarthritis induced in rats with Freund’s adjuvant. This substance, or material synthesized from cetyl alcohol and myristoleic acid, afforded good protection against adjuvant-induced arthritic states in rats. In limited comparisons, cetyl oleate, also found in Swiss albino mice, gave lesser protection, whereas cetyl myristate and cetyl elaidate, the trans-isomer of cetyl oleate, appeared to be virtually ineffective. Dosage of the protective compound as well as the site of injection of Freund’s adjuvant was important.

The implication of this is that pure cetyl-myristoleate is more effective than other cetylated fatty acids.

A 2002 study published in the Journal of Rheumatology found that:

Compared to placebo, CFA provides an improvement in knee range of motion and overall function in patients with OA of the knee. CFA may be an alternative to the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs for the treatment of OA.

More promising results on cetyl myristoleate were published in a 2003 study:

Cetyl myristoleate (CM) was reported by Diehl and May [J Pharm Sci 83 (1994) 296] to block inflammation and prevent adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. To verify this earlier work, we have synthesized pure CM and tested its anti-arthritic properties in a collagen-induced arthritis model in DBA/1LacJ mice. Multiple intraperitoneal injections of CM in 450 and 900 mg kg(-1) doses resulted in a significantly lower incidence of disease and caused a modest but significant diminution in clinical signs in those mice that developed arthritis. CM administered in daily oral doses of 20 mg kg(-1) also reduced the incidence of arthritis and caused a small reduction in the clinical signs in mice that developed arthritis. Although the protective effect of CM in collagen-induced arthritis observed in the present study was less dramatic than that reported earlier, our results confirm the anti-arthritic properties of pure CM.

While some manufacturer’s claims are questionable, the evidence is there. Cetyl myristoleate works and is a great contribution to a joint supplement’s formula.